RL Fic Exchange: ICEBREAKER
by Mooncat99
Summary: Logan's accident in Costa Rica didn't happen and R/L would find another way to get over the bridesmaid disaster. Written for the First Annual R/L Fic Exchange. AU from 6.19: I Get a Sidekick Out of You.
1. Icebreaker

Title: **Icebreaker **

Author: Mooncat

Rating: M

Summary: Written for the First Annual R/L Fic Exchange. AU from 6.19: I Get a Sidekick Out of You. Logan's accident in Costa Rica didn't happen and R/L would find another way to get over the bridesmaid disaster.

Warnings: Angst, some coarse language and some mild smut.

Copyright: Sarah Diaz © 12.08.2009

Disclaimer: All characters of the TV-show Gilmore Girls do not belong to me. I merely borrow them.

Author's Note: _This is my response to Queen Ferret's interesting prompt which I have posted at the end of the story. Thanks to Julia for organizing the First Annual R/L Fic Exchange. And thanks to my beta for the wonderful work she does for my stories!_

_**Icebreaker**_

**Chapter 1: Icebreaker**

The party was in full swing with all the indications that it would be a blast, just like it was supposed to be, but somehow, Logan couldn't get into the mood. And not for a lack of trying, for sure. He felt like he had drunk half of the entire stock of scotch by himself. He had made the jump, he mingled but nothing seemed to work that would enable him to join the fun.

This was his last Life and Death Brigade event before becoming an alumnus. This was his big graduation stunt and party before his father would kick him to London, into a suffocating life of work, far away from his friends and...

Turning his back away from the partying Brigadiers, Logan grabbed himself a bottle of whiskey and stomped away towards the beach. Finding a more or less secluded spot, he dropped down onto the cold sand and stared out to the sea, angrily taking a big swig.

Who was he kidding? He knew exactly why he was in such a bad mood that even drinking and partying like hell could not help him forget the problems of his crappy life. Even the stunt had done nothing but remind him of the cause of his current state of mind. He had probably done the most elaborate and most daring stunt in his life and he had not enjoyed doing it, not even a second. Hell, there had been a scary moment when the parachute hadn't opened immediately which had, on top of his brooding, killed the buzz of all the drinking he had indulged in ever since leaving Connecticut.

God, he was so glad that the parachute had opened without any more problems after all. He was happy that he had been able to jump safely not because he was alive without any broken bones or injuries and not because he liked sitting here miserably thinking about the added complications in his life; but because he did not want to give _her_ the satisfaction that she was correct with her self-righteous doubts and pessimism. No, he did not want to give her anything right now, let alone satisfaction.

He raised the bottle to his lips again.

Nevertheless…

When Rosemary and Juliet had emerged from the trees with coconut cocktails for them in their hands, surprising them upon their arrival after the stunt, he hadn't been able to help himself but hope for another person to show up as well, despite the unlikely chance of that happening. Not after everything that had occurred lately. Not after the cold, indifferent way she had treated him these past few days. Not with her best friend's wedding taking place today with her as the maid-of-honor. And still he had been disappointed when no one else but Brigadiers showed up, feeling once more dejected and frustrated.

Raising his arm, he hurled the half-full bottle into the soft waves.

Fuck it.

He didn't do dejection or frustration or misery just because of a girl! If anything, he was the one who bottled up, pushed away, gave the cold shoulder or even broke up with the girl.

Sure, she hadn't mentioned anything about breaking up, not yet at least. She had come back with him from Paris' place to their home after her disastrous encounter with his former fuck-bunnies at Honor's wedding, telling him that she had forgiven him, not that he thought there was really anything to be forgiven. But he was no fool, damn it. Any blind person could see that she had done everything but forgive him, holding one big grudge all bottled up and he could already see where this was heading to.

Maybe he should be happy to finally be rid of her and all the complications a relationship brought into his life. Maybe he should forget about her, move on and take pleasure from the company of the many beautiful and sexy ladies that were out there and just make his life one big party and enjoy it to the fullest.

Yeah, that he should do!

But...

Running his hands through his hair, he closed his eyes. And like so many times before, a vision of his Ace appeared before his inner eye, looking at him with her stunning blue eyes and that warm, soft smile just reserved for him that made his heart clench suddenly with an overwhelming longing.

The problem was he had already tried just that: to move on, to forget her. That was what he did after their first big fight, believing that they had broken up and that was it. He had partied, gotten drunk, and fucked any two-legged girl with boobs crossing his way and that included, unfortunately, Honor's stupid friends who were her bridesmaids. He thought he would be able to move on after all; in reality, the contrary became apparent. The more desperately he tried to forget by substituting her with willing bodies and engaging in meaningless sex, the more it felt wrong and empty. The more he missed her. In the end, he had had no choice but to admit that she had touched his heart like no one else ever could. She was the only one who was able to fulfill the needs he didn't even know he had until he had had her in his arms. Only her.

He loved her. Simple as that, scary as that.

He had reached the point that it simply had to be her and no one else but her. And in the short period since the time he convinced her to give their relationship another chance up until the day she found out just how he had spent the time apart from her after Thanksgiving, he had never been happier before in his life even while his father had been forcing him into more and more business meetings and with London looming over his head. With her being there for him and, soon after, even waiting at _their_ home for him, his dreaded future in the family business just didn't matter that much anymore.

And now...

She was seldom at home, not leaving any word on her whereabouts. He barely saw her and when she was there, she blocked any of his attempts to talk to her. It had been futile to start any conversation with her on any subject, be it on some general stuff like his day or her day or the newest crazy idea of Finn. He could not even start a dialogue with her to discuss the problem that had been tearing them apart bit by bit. He hated it and he missed his Ace so much, but he had no idea how to rectify their situation so they could go back to how they were before she found out about the bridesmaids.

If he could only make her see his point of view, make her understand that in spite of what he did, as despicable as she would think his actions were, his random and meaningless sex with those girls turned out to be a basically important phase for him. After all, without all those girls and the meaningless, hell, horrible sex with them, he would have never realized that he was head-over-heels in love with her and only her.

Then again, he doubted she would appreciate that bit of information since she had not shown any appreciation to a lot of things he did nowadays.

Was it over? Would breaking up be the best for them, especially now that he was moving out to London in a couple of months?

His hands dug deep into the sand as he opened his eyes to stare up to the stars. He wondered if Rory felt any of the things he was feeling right now. Probably not. She seemed uninterested in him and impassive about their relationship nowadays. It obviously hadn't bothered her that he would be out of reach for several days, whereas before, she had complained about not being able to talk to him for only a full day and had nagged him endlessly to find a way to call her anyway so she wouldn't have to worry. But no, not this time, nada! Hell, she hadn't even kissed him goodbye!

He was for sure not an expert on relationships, the past had more than proven that, but even he could tell that none of what was happening indicated that the future looked good for them. Would their relationship be dead as doornail soon? Or rather, would Rory's aloofness and detachment be the doornails that could really shut the coffin of their relationship?

So perhaps, would simply ending it now be better than trying to mend their relationship? To move out as soon as he was back in New Haven, to make a clean break since they were not on speaking terms anyway?

Maybe.

But then, why would he feel almost sick at the mere thought of leaving her? Why would everything in him be screaming to find a way, any way, to somehow prove to Rory that all he wanted was her and she was the only person who counted in his life now and he was pretty sure in the future as well? To make her see that they belonged together, that they couldn't be happy without each other?

At least _he _couldn't imagine a life without her anymore.

Wasn't that the answer in itself?

Letting out a groan from the depths of his heart, he laid down, wishing he hadn't hurled away the bottle of whiskey. He really needed a shot right now.

Even if he decided to stick it out with their relationship, what use was it when Rory had already decided to trash it like she had seemed to? He had managed to convince her to be with him, to give him and their relationship a chance before but this time, he had no clue how he would be able to persuade her again into giving him, _them_ another chance. He loved his girlfriend, but God, she could be obstinate and downright hardheaded sometimes. She wasn't one to easily change her mind and especially with all the chances she had given him already... No, he wasn't sure at all if he could pull it off again. And he had no idea how to make them both happy again.

Also…

To be truthful, he couldn't see why he had to do all the groveling this time. Okay, so he had slept with other girls, but for Heaven's sake, he had been sure they had broken up especially when they had not talked for weeks after their fight. And besides, he was a guy after all, one who had only known a multitude of random sex before his Ace had crossed his way and taught him the appeal and meaning of committed sex. Of making love only to the one girl he saw himself spending the rest of his life with, as harebrained and impossible he had once thought that was.

Obviously, Rory couldn't see that though. She was not on the same page as he was. Otherwise, she would never act like this, slowly killing the great thing they had between them. Because their crumbling relationship was solely her fault this time. She was the one pulling away, the one avoiding her issues and running away. And whose love for him was apparently dying.

So it wasn't just up to him to save their relationship. Actually, it was probably mostly up to her to decide whether she wanted to stay with him or not. He dreaded that decision as he couldn't see much hope for them right now.

From within the woods, the sounds of the celebration drifted over to him. He could hear the laughter, singing and some distinctive sounds indicating that quite a few had formed groups to have private parties of their own.

He would have enjoyed the group parties himself, smirking as he reminisced the pleasure of being with his group. However, his reminiscing only made him miss his girlfriend more, wishing more than ever for her to be here with him, enjoying this beautiful, mild night in Costa Rica. He was sure that she would love it here: the people, the landscape, the beach, the food. And, of course, the coffee. God, she would probably be on a high caffeine level from drinking too much Costa Rican coffee, a caffeine level that even a Gilmore girl had never reached so far.

Despite everything, a smile tugged at his lips at that thought. His Ace and coffee... Hmm, maybe he should take home some of the best Costa Rican blends for her. He would bet she would love that.

The idea hit him like lightening and he sat up with a jerk, taking a deep breath, inhaling the fresh seawater air mixed with the faint but well-detectable smell of the many coffee trees around him. Coffee may not be a new idea for him and for sure couldn't make everything all right but with him bringing some special coffee blends home for her may just be icebreaker enough to get through to her, make her listen to him.

She _had to_.

She was always referring to the Gilmore Girls Handbook of Rules after all. In particular, he remembered rule number two very well:

_Rule Number Two_. A Gilmore girl should always worship the person who brings her the best coffee in the world. To show appreciation for the wonderful gift of the finest coffee, the recipient Gilmore girl must set aside at least an hour of her time to grant, in a genie-like manner, the wish of the giver.

Oh yeah, that may just be what they needed. And if it worked out, he was going to abandon tea for the rest of his life and only drink coffee from then on. Another reason for his Ace to forgive him as a Gilmore girl would never turn her back away from another coffee devotee. That was as long as there was enough coffee to satisfy her and a second coffee addict.

* * *

Her chin resting on her fist, Rory watched her best friend dancing with her newly-wedded husband and felt a strange mixture of happiness, nostalgia and yeah, part of her also felt some wistfulness and even sadness.

The friendship between her and Lane would never be the same again, of that she was absolutely sure. Certainly, they would remain best friends. They would always confide with each other, talk about Heaven and hell and everything in-between. But still, it wouldn't be the same.

Then again…

To be brutally honest, their friendship had started to change ever since she had her first boyfriend Dean. And boy, sometimes they were worlds apart ever since she went to college while Lane stayed back home in Stars Hollow. Not to mention that ever since she was with Logan, she had seldom seen Lane and, most often than not, her conversations with her were guarded, she held back when talking about a few things. Logan and his friends' world was so fundamentally different from the world Lane lived in that it had been hard for Rory, who was caught in the middle of it, to talk about them. Strangely, the only one who had been able to understand that situation was Paris who had grown up in Logan's world and who was more hard-working in college than Rory. Because of the legal problems of her parents, Paris had understood and accepted the concept of living in a very tight budget. So in some ways, Paris was closer to her than Lane nowadays.

Now, Lane had both Zack and Brian who surely were closer to her in many aspects than Rory was. No one could take away their childhood memories and the deep friendship that had grown over the years and she knew that should she need Lane, she would always be there for her.

Well, with the exception of now maybe, not that Rory would ever dream of disturbing her friend's happiness and big day by bringing up her own messy relationship with Logan, no matter how very much she wanted to talk to someone about it.

Taking a last look at the happy couple, Rory turned away with a big sigh. She was happy for Lane, damn it! Really. And she wouldn't let Logan ruin this day for her or for Lane by sulking about the rock bottom they had hit lately. First the fight Jess triggered by showing up. Then her realization of how lost she was. Next came the news of Logan's impending move to London. After that, she had learned about all the bridesmaids he had fucked the moment they were not talking; that he had made the assumption that they had broken up. And now, she wouldn't let the fact that he wasn't here with her right now bring her down. If he would rather risk his neck in some banana republic, fine with her.

Maybe…

Some time apart was probably what they just needed at the moment. After all, right now she couldn't even look at him without imagining him with one of those bimbos. She had been so hurt by the fact that he could easily and quickly replace her, while at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder why he had even bothered to get back together with her. Obviously, he didn't need her to keep his bed warm and with him leaving in a couple of months anyway... Why go through all this trouble?

Right.

Because in spite of everything, they loved each other. Or at least she loved him. She loved him enough that she apparently couldn't even kiss another guy anymore without feeling terribly sick and culpable as her trip to Philadelphia had more than clearly shown. To think that kissing Jess could ever leave her so cold, yeah, even sick to the stomach, just because he wasn't Logan.

Not that she had planned on kissing him or anything else. Not consciously at least. But on the way back to New Haven, she had had time to think and had realized that yes, she primarily had gone to the opening because she was happy for Jess and she was incredibly proud of him. But some dark part of her that she hadn't even known existed had probably also entertained the possibility of paying back Logan by sleeping with Jess.

She hated herself for that, hated that her mess with Logan had brought forth even the slightest possibility of such a betrayal, not just of Logan, but also of Jess and more importantly, of herself and her own convictions and beliefs.

But why was she even surprised? Ever since she had met Logan he made her do or, at least, made her consider things she would never have dreamed of before, starting with her jumping off a seven-story high scaffold, engaging in stringless/casual sex, and now, entertaining the possibility of sleeping with someone else just to make Logan hurt as much as she was hurting.

Okay.

In a way she was also grateful to Logan for exposing her to different groups of people and events that made her acquire more knowledge, more experience. He had opened a new world to her that had liberated her and had shown her a different side of life. And most importantly, through Logan she rediscovered herself; she found her inner self that was concealed. Although she realized also that she can do without the side of her that almost did the horrendous act.

She seriously asked herself if perhaps simply ending it with Logan would be the best. She would go back to New Haven, pack her stuff and move back with Paris or, if that wouldn't work, she guessed she could always move back to Stars Hollow for the last few weeks until school was out for the summer. After all, she felt that their relationship would probably be over in a couple of months anyway, with him moving away to London. So why not save the two of them from the heartbreak that awaited them and not waste any more effort and energy to save a relationship that was doomed to end soon enough?

Because even if Logan did want to try a long-distance relationship, which she was not positively certain, but if he did, she wasn't confident enough to have faith in him after everything that had happened with the bridesmaids. She knew full well just how his libido was and wondered if she could trust him enough for a long-distance relationship to work and not be eaten by doubts. One of them had to be realistic after all and that was obviously not going to be Logan.

Oh Logan. He would rather let her believe they could make a trip to Asia together over the summer, not once bothering to tell her that hey, he was moving across a freaking ocean away from her!

Biting her lips, she grabbed one of the tequila shots her mother thankfully hadn't drunk and downed it in one big gulp. A part of her longed to get drunk and forget everything for a while but one drunken Gilmore girl was more than enough for Lane's wedding. Judging from her mom's speech, being drunk hadn't worked either.

Then again, it worked perfectly well with Logan and his friends. By now they probably were three sheets to the wind. She just hoped that they had been sensible enough to wait with drinking themselves into oblivion before making that stupid, reckless stunt. Pushing away the worry that thought evoked, she angrily reached for a glass of water and downed that, too.

God, she needed to get out of here. Seeing Lane so happy with Zack only made her miss Logan more and damn it, this was her night, Lane's night, _not_ Logan's! And seeing her mom break down over her stuck-in-limbo relationship with Luke wasn't helping her situation either, only reminding her of her own problems with her boyfriend. But she was the maid-of-honor and this was her best friend's wedding which made it imperative that she stay until the end of the festivities and basically, that was what she wanted in the first place.

If only she could just stop thinking of Logan…

Being in this wedding reminded her, almost every second of every minute, that only a few weeks ago she had admitted to herself and her mom that she thought Logan was _the_ one. That for a while now, she could very well see herself walking down the aisle, in a couple of years or so, with Logan waiting at the altar for her, ready to set out for a new life together and start a family. When she looked at Martha or other babies, she could also picture herself having Logan's child, sometime along the way.

And the insane part…

Even with everything that had happened and all the doubts about the point of staying with Logan now, when she had seen Lane marry Zach twice today, she thought of her future with Logan and imagined herself and Logan in Lane and Zach's places, and strangely enough, it had felt just right and nothing else mattered.

But wasn't it crazy to think about such things with the way they were at the moment? Not to mention that Logan had not once given any indication about a possible future together, making all such thoughts fruitless.

Still...

Whenever she contemplated ending it with Logan for good, there was always this whisper in her heart, reminding her of what she thought about that and everything else.

Frustrated, she shook her head, eyeing the bar longingly before refilling her glass with water. Getting drunk would serve no one. Nor would it be fair to Lane. Actually, as it was, none of this musing got her anywhere. Yeah, she needed to sort out this mess her life was in right now, figure out where she stood exactly and act accordingly, be it by breaking up with Logan for good or by getting over this terrible feeling of betrayal and mend their relationship but now was not the time for that. No, it would have to wait until Logan returned from his trip. She would be able to make her decision, whatever it may be, only by facing him again.

Though the part of her that still believed in him being the one for her sure hoped for a happy ending for them. Okay, maybe all of her hoped for that. It wasn't just up to her though. Logan was a big part in achieving that goal, starting with his explaining a thing or two. And he had some growing up to do. She too probably, but by golly, he sure had to work on at a least one or two things if they wanted their relationship to ever work. The problem was… she wasn't sure if he could do that.

Then again, if Logan was anything, it would be his being a master of surprises. It was part of the reason why she loved him so much, as much as the reason why she actually entertained the idea of breaking it off with him.

She guessed only time would tell where his next surprise would lead them.

Heartbroken… or back on the road towards the ever after.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Well, I hope you liked it so far - especially you, Queen Ferret. This is the first of 4 chapters. The next one I will post tomorrow. Happy New Year to everyone.)_


	2. Come Home

**Chapter 2: Come Home**

Arriving at the apartment she shared with Logan, she immediately knew that he was back as soon as she opened the door. Not because she saw him or his baggage; she simply knew. She could sense him in the air and atmosphere of their residence; the place was charged with his energy. She simply could feel his presence.

Slowly, she closed the door and moved further into the loft, almost wary of what awaited her. She hated that she was so uncomfortable, so unsure and so uncertain in her own home. To be fair though, she guessed a lot of the dreadful mood that was currently prevailing in their home had been caused by her. After all, she was the one with the problem here, the one doubting everything. Logan was just reacting to her behavior. She knew that but that didn't change how she felt.

Their last goodbye had been horrible so she halfway expected their greeting to be as awful. But, maybe, if she made an effort... Seeing him by their bed, unpacking his bag, she forced herself to smile and act nonchalantly. "Hey you. How was your trip?"

She could see as he glanced over at her that he hesitated before mustering a less than pleasant smile himself, nodding slightly. "Good. Lane's wedding?"

"Nice," she replied, feeling her heart sink. Great. If that was all they could come up with after a week of separation, how would they ever manage to have a meaningful talk to sort their mess out? Unsure of what to do or say next, she finally moved towards the kitchen. She needed some coffee or she couldn't see any chance for her to bear the next few hours.

While she prepared the coffee, she kept an eye on Logan who continued to silently unpack his bag. She felt a pang in her hurting heart, a pain so far unknown to her. Before, something like this could never have happened. He would have never been on such a long trip without talking to her at least once in all that time. And once he was back home from a long trip, she would be all over him as he would be all over her; they would not be able to keep off their hands from each other in their need to be together. And now there hadn't even been a kiss!

Then again, there hadn't been one before he had left either. She had still been way too angry and disappointed with him to kiss him goodbye. Not that he had tried to kiss her either for that matter.

Was it already too late for them? Was every chance gone for them to ever get over what was wrong right now? Did she even want to fight for them?

_Yes._

She may not be sure if they could overcome this but she wanted to at least try. That was the least she could do, owed herself… and Logan. "So... Everything went well with your jump?"

Keeping his head down, Logan turned his back away from her to put something away in the night drawer. "As you can see." Testy.

Remembering their last fight about the safety and wisdom of the planned stunt for the LDB event, she felt her cheeks flame up and abruptly turned towards the coffee machine. Damn. Wrong topic. Not to mention that obviously, Logan seemed to not have much interest in making an effort here. And she couldn't even blame him. That did not help in stopping the hurt, though. "Whatever."

Silence descended upon them once again like a looming cloud and feeling the intensity of the moment, Rory suddenly felt tears fill her eyes. So was this the end? No hope left?

"I'm sorry."

Quickly blinking away the tears, she glanced at him over her shoulder, feeling the tiniest spark of hope upon seeing him looking straight at her, having abandoned his unpacking.

"The jump went well. It just wasn't like I expected it to be and... I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Oh... Too bad for you," Rory answered after a second, hoping it was the right thing to say. Of course she was wondering why exactly the stunt hadn't met his expectations but she didn't think she was in a position to ask this right now.

"To be honest, the whole trip wasn't all that good. I didn't really enjoy it." Logan surprised her by what he had just admitted and by actually taking a step towards her. "I missed you."

The tiny spark of hope flamed up into a small but warm fire. Now, _that_ was an effort. Ignoring the coffee that was ready now, she turned to face him straight on as well. "I missed you, too. Frankly, I couldn't truly enjoy the wedding either. I kept thinking of you."

"You did?"

Was it just her imagination or did she really hear the same desperate hope in his voice that she was feeling? Quietly, she nodded, her eyes never leaving his.

He held them for a moment longer before he slightly turned back to the bed, picking up a bag she hadn't noticed from the floor. "I brought something for you."

"Really?" Caught off guard, she stared at him as he came over to her, holding out the bag. He nodded.

"I thought you might like this."

Only regarding him for a second more, she took the bag and peeked inside. Just by the faint smell, she realized what the different little bags inside held. She couldn't help but smile with giddy surprise. "Coffee?"

Logan shrugged, but smiling as well. "What else would I bring home for you from one of the largest exporter of coffee? I went to a few of the plantations to handpick some of the finest, gourmet coffee beans. With their help of course. I hope you'll like them."

"The coffee that I won't like has yet to be planted and roasted," Rory reminded him, looking back at him. "I'm sure they will be exquisite. Thank you, Logan."

It wasn't just the coffee she was grateful for. He knew well enough that he could never go wrong with coffee. But, he had thought of it on top of and in spite of everything. That he had gone to so much trouble to bring her this gift, despite the way she had treated him, despite the tension between them before his trip. It was the ultimate proof that he, too, was willing to work on their relationship and that he hadn't given up on them also.

Hopefully, that was all they needed to save this relationship. And it was time to do something about it. "We need to talk, Logan."

To her surprise, he simply nodded. "I know. I brought you the gift of coffee. Rule number two in the Gilmore Girl Rule Book, isn't it? So, as appreciation, you have to listen to me. Right?"

Dumbfounded, she only managed a nod while staring at him. He remembered the rules this well? And was now using them against her? Then again, why was she even surprised? This was Logan. Throwing her off totally by his out-of-the-blue thoughtfulness and also by the cleverness of his strategies, leaving her with no other choice but to listen to him. Okay, so this time, she, too, wanted a talk and probably it was a good sign that he had figured that out himself which meant that she didn't have to force him to confront all the problems they had currently. Still, it would have been nice, if only for once, she could have had the advantage in this.

"But before we go to the mattresses, may I first have some of that coffee you made? I think we'll need it for this.," he asked, sitting down by the kitchen peninsula.

"Sure," Rory hurried to answer and quickly turned towards the coffee machine, flustered. It didn't matter though. Okay, so this wasn't what she had expected at all. Logan wasn't one who liked to talk. At least, not any open and personal talk that could majorly affect his life. Usually, he avoided such serious talking like the plague. She should be glad that he was willing to work things out. Or he wasn't, she thought with sudden panic. Maybe it wasn't really that good a sign that he suddenly was ready to talk about them. What if he wanted to break up?

Glancing at the bag with the coffee from Costa Rica, she assured herself that she hadn't imagined that gesture. Nope. Good. So it couldn't have been a bad sign. He wouldn't have taken the time to search for the best coffee to bring home for her. He was clearly aiming to please her a lot with his gift. A gesture he wouldn't have done if he wanted to break up with her. Would he?

"What's this?"

Looking around to see what Logan meant, she felt her heart sink at the realization of what had caught Logan's attention.

Oh.

Damn. She had almost forgotten about it because she was too preoccupied with her anger towards Logan while being worried about him at the same time. Shit, why hadn't she put the damn book away? She knew Logan wouldn't like it and it sure wouldn't make this talk any easier. It would rather make their talk harder and more unpleasant. But she wasn't going to lie about it.

"Jess' book. You remember Jess?" Of course he did, he would hardly forget the guy who was unintentionally responsible for their breakup. She hurried on. "Well, he sent me an invitation to the opening of his place the Truncheon Books and I went. It's not every day that one of your friends opens his own place and showcases a book he wrote. He signed it too. I'm sure, one day, this book will be a collector's item and cost a fortune." Maybe, if she tried it with lightheartedness, he wouldn't freak out as much as she thought he would.

Turning the book in his hands, he frowned. "You went to Philadelphia?"

"Well yeah, the bookstore is in Philadelphia." She hoped that didn't sound too defensive. "Luke and April were there, too."

Logan's jaw clenched, but he put the book away without another word. She could practically see the wheels turning though. And the suspicion. Shaking her head, she poured coffee into two large mugs and put one of them in front of him, perhaps with a bit more force than necessary.

Maybe she had no right to be offended by his doubt, not after what had almost happened, but damn it, he for sure had no right whatsoever to be snobbish and hypocritical about this. Not with what he had done!

On the other hand, Logan assuming the wrong thing would not help them either. Ugh. "I didn't sleep with him, in case you're wondering."

His eyes darkened dangerously, but he said nothing. It didn't get past her that his hands balled into fists though. She sighed. "Nor did I go see Jess with that in mind."

The gaze he threw her through narrowed eyes was nearly burning her up. "Why don't I believe you?"

She tried not to have his snarl get to her but that lasted about three seconds. Slamming her cup down that the coffee spilled over, she fully met his glare head on. "Even if I had, do you really think you are in any position to be mad about this?"

"Oh honey, there's a big difference between what happened with those bimbos and this. First and most importantly, we were broken up when I slept with them. Whereas we are still supposed to be together this time," Logan hissed, leaning forward. "Second, what I did had nothing to do with payback. I didn't sleep with those girls to hurt you. But you sleeping with that idiot would have been all about payback and deliberately hurting me."

How dare he?! "I've got news for you… Finding out about your legion of bridesmaids hurt a whole fucking lot! And the point is… I _didn't _sleep with Jess!"

He snorted. "Oh please, don't kid yourself. You may have not gone through with it, which actually doesn't surprise me, but it for sure that had been your intention all along."

"That's not true!" The nerve of him, telling her what her intentions had been!

Instead of retorting, he just looked at her.

It riled her up even more. "Fine. Honestly? Maybe, some small, dark part of my subconsciousness actually did want to sleep with Jess, just to show you how that feels like. But you know what? It didn't matter. The second Jess kissed me, all I was feeling was repulsion, because...."

"So you kissed," he interrupted her, his voice low and flat.

"That's not the point! Will you listen to what I am trying to say? He kissed me, for perhaps three seconds or even less, before I pushed him away. That's the point. He was my ex-boyfriend and believe me, one of the few good things in that relationship had been the kisses. They were really hot kisses, without exception. The last couple times when he kissed me, even when I didn't want to kiss him back, his kisses had felt good. Not this time though." Again she felt tears prick her eyes and this time, she didn't stop them. "This time, his kiss just felt awful. Felt wrong. And not because he had lost his touch. The only reason why I couldn't stand it was because he wasn't _you_. Because despite everything, I love you!"

Once again, Logan just stared at her. Fine. She wasn't finished anyway.

"And it really sucks. It sucks so much. The minute you thought you were free, you went to fuck a whole wedding party and I can't even stand one freaking kiss. I am so angry at you that I could rip off your balls and feed them to pigs." A sob fought its way free. "But more than anything, it hurts that you can forget and replace me so easily while I..." Abruptly, she turned around, unable to face him any longer as well as not wanting him to see how much the thought alone pained her.

"Rory..."

She shook her head forcefully. "No. Just… no." Another sob she couldn't hold back. "What was I thinking anyway? To expect something more? To think that I meant so much to you that..." This time she was able to bite back the sob, but it burned in her throat. Damn it. "It's just not fair," she whispered, more to herself.

* * *

To think that he had thought the special coffee blends for her would smooth things out at least somewhat, ease the brunt of the storm they were heading into! Her joy at the gift but also the obvious effort she had made ever since coming home had made his hope flare up so much; and then, he had to learn that she had gone to see that bastard ex of hers. Not only that, oh no, she _didn't_ sleep with him, they _just_ kissed.

It wouldn't take a genius to figure out just why Rory had gone to see that jerk in the first place whether she would admit it or not. And he was spitting livid about that. The thought that she had gone to that asshole was bad enough but to find out that the little piece of shit had actually kissed his Ace!

Oh, he could very well wring the neck of that fucking Jess right here and now! Then he would rip his horny, filthy body apart piece by piece, starting with his dick. And then, he'd find a school of piranhas and throw his body parts for them to eat. The nerve of that guy! For the second time around, showing up out of nowhere as if he still had any rights on Rory, as if he was entitled to Rory's affection and messing everything up, causing major fights between them, pushing them to a break-up.

_No!_

No. It would only lead to another break-up, if he let even the thought of Jess get between them. If he let him win. And he'd be damned if he would give that asshole any satisfaction. Taking a deep breath, he tried to see through the red haze the news about his girlfriend being kissed by another guy, Jess in particular, had left him in and tried to concentrate instead on Rory and what she had to say.

The more he listened, the more the rage gave way to shock, and then, to growing guilt and, finally, to anguish.

He stared at Rory, at her rigid back and her slumped, shaking shoulders. He listened to her painful sobs which she tried to hide from him. The pain she tried to hide. Pain _he_ had caused. Swallowing hard, he let instinct take over and his instinct told him to console her, in any way possible. Even if that meant telling her the brutal truth.

Rounding the counter that separated them, he moved to stand in front of her, tentatively touching her arms wrapped tightly around her shaking body. She shuddered, not in a good way, but he kept his hands in place on her arms anyway, wanting her to feel him even with his light touch.

"Rory, please. Listen to me," he begged quietly.

She kept her head facing down, not meeting his eyes; but, she didn't try to stop him from speaking again either. He took that as a sign to continue.

"You are very wrong when you think that my sleeping with those bimbos reflects what you mean to me. At least not the way you think it does," he told her emphatically. He needed her to finally understand, even if she might not like what he would say. She obviously needed to know the real reasons why he had fucked all those girls. "When we broke up, you were suddenly gone. You've _got _to believe me that that was what I thought it was… that you were gone and we were finished. It hurt, Rory. Not being with you was very painful."

Rory was still not looking at him, but her sobs had quieted down a bit. Okay. It wasn't easy to be so open about that time, but hell, if that was what Rory needed to understand and to help them find each other again, then by all means cruel honesty would be it.

"I'm not used to such pain. I've never felt anything like that before. I didn't know what to do about it. You know my past. Meaningless sex with random girls was all I knew before you and when you were gone and I was feeling so lost, I thought I needed to go back to those old ways, the faster the better. Just so I wouldn't feel so damn empty and alone anymore." He shrugged, knowing now how stupid he had been, how obvious what the only true solution was to end that pain. But he had been blind back then, too angry with his father, Jess, Rory and pretty much his whole life and too confused by all the unwelcome feelings he was experiencing. "So I fucked the first willing girl crossing my way, which happened at one of the meetings for Honor's wedding and the girl happened to be one of her bridesmaids. Thing is, Rory, I did that quickie and I felt absolutely nothing."

_God, this was hard_.

Logan found it too hard to be talking with Rory about sex with other girls, no matter how meaningless the sex was. Strangely enough though, she had finally lifted her head. She wasn't looking at him yet but he sure had her attention.

Wetting his dry lips, he searched for words to explain what exactly had happened back then, hoping it wouldn't ruin everything. "I thought maybe it was the girl, maybe I should try something more extensive than a mere quickie so I did the next willing girl. And when that didn't work out either, I got another girl. And another. And another. But no matter what I did, the sex simply left me cold. And the feeling of emptiness and the pain wouldn't go away either. In the end, I couldn't even... Well you know." He wasn't keen on elaborating that part, being one of the biggest shocks to him in all this mess. "I bet those harpies haven't told you that, huh?"

Of course they wouldn't have. No sane girl who knew his past or at least his reputation in that regard would willingly admit that she hadn't been able to entice him enough to get it up. That didn't make for a good story. Not that it had been their fault.

Unconsciously, he stroked her arms with his fingers. Letting them slide further down, he rested his hands on her hips to pull her a bit closer. Her arms remained crossed in front of her, but she didn't pull away or push him off either. Encouraged by this, he took a tiny step closer, his body still not touching her; though it was very much eager to. Then again, when did his body not yearn to be close to her or even better, inside her? At first, just her proximity would turn him on. He was so attracted to her. When his want and his need for her would not go away even after they had slept together and when he could not get enough of her, he had gotten confused. It had scared the hell out of him. Then, when he had acknowledged his helplessness about her and had just accepted his fate, he could not help but be truly amazed without end by her and what her mere presence could do to him. He never grew tired of desiring her. But in times like these, when they fought and were kept apart, everything was pure torture. He was not able to do what had become a basic need, an almost primal want. And that was a worse punishment than the combined penalty imposed by his father, grandfather and all the school authorities he had ever enraged in his life so far.

"But the only good thing that came out of this mess was that I finally had accepted that it wasn't the girls or the circumstances around our…encounters. It was me. All that sex just wasn't enough for me anymore. It left me cold and empty because it wasn't you in my arms. All they could offer were their bodies and some physical release. Those girls were not as witty as you are. Not as intelligent as you are. No spark in their dull eyes. No hearts at all." He took a shaky breath. This was way too much emotion for his taste but he had learned quickly that giving Rory a piece of himself was the only way she would accept him into her life. And as hard as it was for him to open up, after years of bottling everything up, hiding his innermost dreams and thoughts, losing Rory would even be harder for him. He could only pray that spilling his guts would make her understand what he did. "But most of all, sex absolutely meant nothing to me because it was just that… simple, meaningless sex. I couldn't stand it anymore, hell, I hated it. Because, at last, I understood, after knowing how it feels like to make love to you, everything else pales compared to what I have with you."

His heart beat faster as she slowly raised her gaze until it met his, finally. Her eyes were still swimming in tears, and there was undeniably still a lot of hurt and anger in them; but, there was something else as well, something he recognized and that made him automatically take another step closer so his hip was now touching hers slightly.

"I guess you might think I am kind of sick… to realize that I am in love with you while fucking another girl, but that was how it happened. It finally made me understand that all those things I was feeling was love… my love for you. Fucking those girls made me realize that I can't be separated from you, the woman I love. I can't really be sorry for those girls if I got to grasp this. I am sorry that I had to go through such a screwed way to become conscious of what is going on with me, and I'm sorry for how you had to learn about it and how much it obviously hurt you," he admitted wholeheartedly, daring to touch her cheek with the back of his fingers, "but not really that it happened at all. Otherwise, who knows what it would have taken for me to see how much in love I am with you? Maybe I would never have realized it." He shook his head, never breaking his eye contact with her, now that he finally had. "But Rory, I swear to you, the moment I realized and accepted that I love you, that all I want is you, I have never even looked at another girl. All I did was do everything in my power to get you back and once we had gotten back together... Ace, can't you tell how happy I am with you? That I only have eyes for you, only you? That you are all I want, all I need?"

Ever so slowly, he let his head bend forward until his forehead touched hers and used his hands on her hips to draw her against him, let her feel what his body needed while he tried to convey with words what his heart needed. "Rory, I love you. Only you. Please, _please_, forgive me and come back to me. Really come back to me, with all your heart, with your fire not this cold, distant shell that came back home with me after the wedding," he begged from the bottom of his heart. "Come home, Ace. And let me come home to you also at the same time."

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: As promised, here's the second chapter. I know, I know, it's a small cliffhanger, but fear not! Another day, another chapter! Hope you're enjoying this!)_


	3. Ruin

**Chapter 3: Ruined**

Rory wasn't deaf or blind. She heard the desperation in Logan's plea, saw the sincerity in his eyes and, most of all, she felt his love for her. It reeled her, left her wishing for nothing else but to give in and melt into his arms. What girl wouldn't melt at such words directed at her and only her? But then, Logan had always been an artist with words. It was a big reason why she was attracted to him. And she also felt his body yearning for her; but, there was also… If there was one thing in their relationship that had always exceeded any expectations by far, then it had to be the sex. Another big reason for the attraction and not an easy one to ignore, especially now, because her body craved for his touch as always.

More than ever, she felt his touch burn with intensity, demanding for more. Especially now that they had not been together for a while and had not actually been able to give in into those urges. She felt his want and eagerness against her like a shock to her system, a system that only he could reboot. It made thinking hard for her − if not impossible.

She wanted so much to give in, aching to be with him. "I want to come home," she whispered.

Wasn't that the whole point of this talk they were having? To try and find a way to get back together? After all, that was what she decided on after considering everything, after what she realized these past few days, wasn't it? That she did want Logan, needed him and, therefore, would try what she could to mend what was broken between them.

"Then do it, Ace," he immediately urged her. "Take another leap with me. You won't regret it, not if I can help it."

Wouldn't she? The past made her doubt it, no matter how heartfelt his promise seemed to her. Did it matter?

"Rory, please," Logan once again begged, though his words almost sounded more like a prayer to her. And finally, he resorted to what he always fell back to when words failed. She was hardly surprised; but, actually, she was amazed at how long it had taken him before doing it. Maybe this was a good sign because of the importance this held for him.

He kissed her.

And just like that, all her resistance slipped away. The warnings her rational part shouted at her were ignored and she simply melted into his kiss. Without even thinking, she naturally returned the kiss with everything she had. Maybe, the still-very-much-in-love-with-Logan part of her had only been waiting for this moment so it could take over, shooting all restraints to hell.

She had waited too long to feel the fire of their love again and frankly, she was tired of fighting and resisting her own heart.

So all she did was raise her hands to pull his head closer to her, deepening their already searing kiss. It was like an explosion, all their bottled-up need and longing broke out all at once, turning them into beings of pure sensations only. No words but only guttural sounds were heard from both of them. Their hands and tongues were the sole messengers of their feelings.

Before she knew it, Logan had somehow managed to maneuver them over to their bed, loosing half of their clothes on the way. For the step up on the platform, he simply swept her off her feet, lowering her instantly onto the mattress, their tongues never stopping their feverish dance.

There was no time for slow appreciation, no time for gentle caresses. There was only unadulterated and naked need that had to be met with raw fervency. So it took only moments before she could at last welcome him home, in her, as he was filling her up rapidly.

"Rory," he sighed, with a heartfelt wonder in his rough voice.

And for a tiny little moment, the frenzy they were in had been frozen in time to give them a split second to revel in the consciousness of finally being one again, letting those satisfying emotions manifest themselves deep in their hearts and souls before the fervor of their coupling caught up with them, propelling them into a long harsh ride that would soon drive them over the edge, into a shuddering climax that would had her roaring his name.

Slowly coming down from the sizzling heights in Logan's arms, Rory mused that she was already eager for a repeat; but, she would like to take all the time in the world, in the next round, to enjoy every last second of the sweet torture. Nope, making love was definitely not their problem.

* * *

Pulling her a bit closer, a very satisfied Logan was certain that nothing had ever felt as good as waking up with Rory in his arms the next morning. Sure, there had been many mornings in the past when they had woken up in each other arms, but this time it was special. With everything between them being cleared the day before, their repeated lovemaking had each time been so intense and fulfilling that he still felt a quiet sizzling. Not a new feeling for him and yet it felt like it was. Yeah, he had felt like this before, since he had been with Rory, but the magnitude of last night and also the intensity of the myriads of feelings he had felt, still felt, while moving deep inside her was like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. It was official now: Rory Gilmore had ruined him for all women but her.

The love he felt for her was amazing… and scary. But hell, it convinced him more than anything else that this was right. His being with her was right. Perhaps, the only right thing in his life. Watching her sleep in his arms, listening to her soft, reassuring breathing, he knew with absolute certainty that he wanted to be nowhere else but with her, where he was right now. And he vowed that he wasn't going to disappoint her again, risk this again. That if it was in his power, he was going to love this woman to the end of his days, protect her… make her happy.

He had never been the kind of man to look far into the future or make big promises. Quite the opposite actually. But for this, for her, doing just that was suddenly as easy as breathing. He wasn't sure what exactly this moment of absolute clarity meant for him and his future life; but, he simply knew that he would live up to that promise.

To seal this silent vow, he tenderly kissed her temple. She stirred in his arms and, as if to answer his vow, she opened her sleepy eyes and gave him a smile that warmed his heart.

But then, before he could say anything, her smile slowly died as she grew aware of her surroundings. His heart sank as something he could only recognize as regret was reflected in her eyes.

No.

"Rory?"

"Logan." Sad? Unhappy?

He shook his head, as if to shoo away the last few seconds, not ready to accept what he thought he could see in her eyes. It couldn't be! Not after last night, not after the love they had shared – several times. She couldn't deny that, damn it, he had felt it, seen it, shared it. "You can't believe that this was a mistake."

It was a good sign she didn't avoid his eyes, wasn't it? "No!" He was about to sigh in relief, but then she rubbed her face. "Yes… I mean it wasn't… just…" She stopped, shook her head, before she let her hands fall to her sides to look straight at him, obviously uncomfortable. "It shouldn't have happened so fast. Not until we talked about all our problems, cleared them or at least faced them."

He frowned. "What do you mean? I thought we did just that yesterday."

Her face hardened. "And that would be one of the problems… you not even realizing that the bridesmaids weren't our main problem."

"They weren't?" To say he was flabbergasted by this statement was about right. Everything had been going so well before the bridesmaids exploded into their faces. Right?

Sitting up and therefore slipping out of his arms, she wrapped the bed linen around herself and sat up so she could face him. "No, Logan. The bridesmaids… they were just the last drop. And it wasn't even you fucking them the problem. But you never mentioning them to me, letting me walk right into that room to hear them gossip about you and them. That is part of our problem. You not talking is part of our problem. You never talk to me about the important things in your life."

"Like what?" he demanded to know, not agreeing with her at all. He had explained to her why he had never told her about the bimbos and damn it, she knew more about him and his life than anyone else. Only Finn, Colin and Honor perhaps knew more; but, they were his best friends and his sister. She could not blame him for that. It wasn't as if he knew more about her than her mother or her best friends.

"Like what?" she repeated, unbelieving. Then her eyes narrowed. "Like you coming home from a trip with your father and then acting like an asshole, not saying one word about it but rather drinking yourself to oblivion and being a chauvinistic snob to my friends. Like you not mentioning one word to me, your girlfriend whom you're living with, that you have to move to London right after your graduation. I found out only because I overheard your father say it. And yet, you even let me plan a trip that you know perfectly well that will never happen. That's you not talking to me enough. Not trusting me enough."

It was his turn to narrow his eyes. There were a lot of things he could say to defend himself, but for the sake of their peace, he swallowed them and, instead, tried to stay calm. "Has it ever occurred to you that those things have nothing to do with you? I don't talk about such things with you not because I don't trust you but I simply don't want to talk about them, period."

"Oh I know, believe me. I know you generally don't want to face your issues and would rather run away to New York, to Costa Rica, to endless parties and drinking so much so that you forget everything that is bothering you." She shook her head, glaring at him. "But I've got news for you… you're graduating in a couple of months. It is time for you to grow up and work through your problems, rather than avoiding them. And some more news… you don't have to do it alone. A girlfriend isn't just someone to have sex with. I love you, Logan. I'm here. I'm always here for you. I'm even living with you. I want to help you; but, I can't do anything when you shut me out constantly and won't let me get any closer."

Okay, that was it! He was not going to stand there and let everything be his problems, his faults. "You're one to talk!"

Drawing back, she frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You want to talk about running? Who ran away when we were in the middle of a fight, refusing to be driven home? Who ran away, going somewhere without leaving any word, making me worry to death, when you couldn't forgive me for the bridesmaids?" He leaned forward to have a better look into her eyes. "And let's not start with who's not talking to whom. You were the one who talked me into stealing a boat rather than talk to me about what my fucking father did to you. You were the one who dropped out of school and moved in with your grandparents without saying one single word to me before it was a done deal. You refused for months to talk about how you really felt, that you were just floating, without any goals and not speaking with your mother and practically estranged. You think I didn't see how unhappy you were? You think I didn't wish that instead of that fake smile you gave everyone, including me, that I would rather have you let loose and cry your heart out while I held you tight?"

It had hurt seeing her put up that front, even for him. But he had figured that was what she needed, so he had gone along with it and gave her some opportunities to talk to him here and there. When she never did, he let it be. Perhaps, that had been a mistake. Perhaps, they could have avoided what was happening now if he had made her talk to him back then. "I was the one who had to learn from his best friends that his girlfriend had moved out from her grandparents with their help to go back to Stars Hollow and back to school. I was the one who sat here, pacing with each second that passed, calling everyone I knew to find out if the woman I love was still alive or not lying in some bushes, attacked and unconscious, because you couldn't come out and be straightforward with me about what was troubling you." He swallowed, trying not to get too furious. "I was not the one who ran to Philadelphia, to an old friend, to go see if I could have a little revenge on my boyfriend. You never talked about what was bothering you until now and only after having a perfect night, ruining what we have gained since yesterday!"

They were silent for a really long time, glaring at each other. Slowly though, the anger made place for resignation. It was Rory who broke the heavy silence after all. "We have no other problems other than the bridesmaids, huh?"

Shaking his head, Logan got out of the bed to move over to the windows, needing some distance. Blindly staring out into the way-too-bright morning, he feverishly thought about how he could fix this and go back to the perfect moment from before. Turning around, he saw that Rory hadn't moved from her spot on the bed, looking down dejectedly. And once again he knew that even with all that had just been said between them, this was still his Ace, the woman he loved. The woman he wanted to have in his life, at his side, more than anyone, anything else in the world. He wouldn't get there by fighting though. Or by avoiding talking about certain aspects of his life.

"I didn't talk to you about London because I am still trying to change Dad's mind. Or to at least persuade him to let me have the summer to go on our trip," he quietly explained to her. "I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely sure that it is going to happen, that there's no way out of London."

Slowly, she raised her head to look at him. "I may not know your father well but he doesn't seem the guy who changes his mind."

"He doesn't. Chances are slim that he will let me off the hook," he admitted. "But there had been times when he had his moments and there are arguments that can work with him. I am working on them. I am also halfway ready to sell him our trip to Asia as work related. Research for start-ups and maybe acquisitions in Asia. I think that could convince him to let me go on that trip. The only problem is that I will then have to really work during our trip and I really want to avoid that. But I have not given up on it yet… and you shouldn't either."

"No?"

"No," he confirmed with conviction.

"Okay," she slowly said, with little conviction, but it was a start. Again, she sighed. "And you're also trying to get out of London?"

"I admit it's unlikely, but yeah, I'd do everything I can to find another solution."

"Why?"

Startled, he frowned. "What?"

Rory looked very unhappy when she asked her next question, but there was also a look of determination in her eyes. "Logan… do you want to go to London?"

His frown deepening, he stared at her. "Are you kidding me? Of course not!"

She shook her head. "No, listen to me for a moment. London is far away from your father. You would have the chance to prove yourself, to be out of his shadow. You like London, so having to live there for a year can't be that bad. So basically, it's not such a bad opportunity for you, isn't it? So why are you so against London?" Before he could answer, she already continued, "Because if your only reason not to go is me, then… Then you should go."

Had she just… "You want me to go?" Had he really been so wrong with the status of their relationship? Misjudged the importance of last night that much?

"No! No, not at all. I don't want you to go. I don't want you an ocean away. But that's not relevant for such a big decision. If you need to go to London, and I am the only reason why you cannot go, then you have to go. I don't want you to decline a chance like this just because of us," she told him unhappily – but dead serious.

"And forget about us?" he asked, still not ready to believe that she would give up like this. Not when, for sure, he had felt her love for him the previous night. He couldn't have imagined that.

"Will there still be an us?" she in turn asked and seeing the fear in her eyes, he finally felt himself relax again.

Okay. Okay.

He moved back over to their bed to take her hands into his. "Rory… You are right, I'm graduating soon and even when I have my path set, it still is a scary thought to leave school behind forever. And there are a lot of things in my life that I am rethinking. The only thing I am absolutely sure about in this mess is that I love you. And that no matter what, I want to be with you, forever if I have any say in it."

Her eyes were as big and bright as they ever were as she gazed up at him. "Forever?"

He nodded and was serious. "From where I stand, yeah, it looks like forever." He hesitated, unsure if he should ask the question that burned on his tongue. Then again, _in omnia paratus_. He may have matured but that didn't mean he'd lose his sense of adventure. "And with you?"

Her eyes widened even more, if that was possible. And when she didn't answer right away, he began already to doubt the wisdom of entering this dangerous terrain. It wasn't as if he was proposing here. Not officially. He knew it was way too soon for that. He was just stating where he stood and perhaps make a promise for the future.

"Pretty much where you stand, I guess."

His heart skipped a beat as their eyes locked and her answer sank in. He took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. "That's good."

She nodded, squeezing back. "But to get to forever, we really need to work on our communication. And on trust."

"And on letting in," he agreed softly.

Again, she nodded, silent this time but obviously hopeful as reflected in her eyes.

"In that sense, all you said about London is true. But my not wanting to go isn't just because of you. Yeah, I guess the distance from my father wouldn't be a bad thing. Then again, if I've learned one thing in my life growing up, it's that no matter how far away I try to run, there is no escaping Mitchum Huntzberger." He couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice as he explained this. Perhaps, there would always be bitterness in anything related to his dear father. He was used to the treatment he gets from his father, though, so at least, there was no hurt. Not for a long time anymore. "He knows people everywhere and my working in our London bureau will not really mean that I'm not very much under his still constant scrutiny. You can be sure that the people in the office will have a close eye on me and report daily to Dad. If I work here, I will be under Dad's rigorous supervision but, at least, I can go home to you at the end of the day."

To his delight, she smiled humorlessly, but a smile was a smile. "Somehow I doubt that that argument will work on Mitchum."

"No, hardly. With him, my wanting to learn from the best, which he is, will perhaps work more. And that this way, he will have so much more power over me," he stated with a sigh. The truth was he simply didn't want to work for his father, be it in London or anywhere else. But what choice did he have? Focusing back on his Ace, he sat down so he'd be at eye-level with her. "But even if I don't get out, it's only a year. And we live in the twenty-first century. Not to mention that I have access to a private plane. There are webcams, email and instant messaging, phones and texting, and of course, weekends and holidays. You could come to London for Christmas and New Year and I'll be here for Thanksgiving and Easter. And if we can't make it to Asia this year, we could go maybe next summer. If Dad tries to take that away from me as well, then to hell with him. I'll be twenty-five next year so I'll have full access to my own money and Dad loses the last of his means to control me. I will have more than enough funding to start a business venture myself, if necessary."

Maybe that would be for the best either way. Somehow, he simply couldn't see himself working for his father's firm his whole life. But first, he had to work out what exactly he wanted to do. And establish his own network of contacts. He already had a few − the only good thing that resulted from the many business trips his father had dragged him on.

"You're serious," his Ace said, surprised.

Not taking his eyes off her, he nodded. "I told you, there's a lot going through my mind. For a while now. But you need to understand that I need time to sort through such things first, make some sense out of the ideas I have before I can talk about them. I would have talked to you eventually. I wasn't ready yet then and by the time I almost was, there was this cold winter between us."

Again she took a moment to answer. "Okay. As long as you talk to me. And you should know, sometimes it helps talking about the ideas you have. I'm a pretty good sounding board."

"I know. And I'll try to remember that the next time. But, you know this goes both ways. Instead of running away to Stars Hollow or Paris or giving me the cold shoulder, you need to talk to me when you have a problem with me. I think I'm getting better at this relationship thing but I'm still not a mind reader or clairvoyant. With you, especially, it's sometimes hard to gauge what you're thinking," he told her. And demanded, "I know talking about relationship stuff isn't my thing, but I want this between us to work and I want you to be happy. For that I'm willing to do a lot of things, including have a talk here and there. Okay?"

Like yesterday, her eyes were glistening with tears, but happy tears this time, he hoped. And her smile, a true smile this time, seemed to confirm his assumption. "Okay. And for the record, usually you're pretty good at this 'relationship stuff'. Well, when you're not a butt-faced miscreant."

Seeing the glint in the depths of her blue eyes, he laughed and, with one practiced and swift motion, moved her onto her back and beneath him. "What was that?"

She blinked innocently at him. "What do you mean?"

So she wanted to play the innocent one? Fine with him. "Did you call me a butt-faced miscreant? Again?"

"Yes, I think I did. Why? You deny the truth of my statement?" she asked, laughing with her eyes.

"Indeed, I do." He changed to a more comfortable position that just happened to have him pressing her down onto the mattress. "Very much so. Like I already did last time. And I think it's high time to punish you for such an outrageous declaration."

"Oh really?" She too changed her position and she just happened to grind against his growing erection that had him suppressing a groan. "Well, then bring it on, miscreant."

Now, that was an invitation that need not be told twice. Besides, he longed to finally come home again, he thought as he thrust into her.

* * *

TBC!

_(Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! I love them. Now, I know this second talk was perhaps a little mean, after the brief reconcilation, but I honestly thought they still had to work through a lot more things before heading to their true and final making up. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially the smut part - I scarcely write that, hence, I'm never so sure about writing such scenes. Last chapter tomorrow!)_


	4. Logan's Balls

**Chapter 4: Logan's Balls**

**(Epilogue)**

"So… how does it feel being a Yale graduate?" Rory asked the moment Logan managed to fight his way through the crowd of graduates, their families and the other people celebrating the momentous event. She had to say, he looked damn good wearing his cap and gown and, of course, his diploma in hand. Once again she felt her heart swell with pride. He sure had come a long way from the carefree dope she had met at the beginning of her second year at Yale, only doing what was necessary to get by in school, to one of the top ten percent students of the graduating class.

"Happy to have schoolwork behind me and ready to sail into a new world," he grinned, pulling her towards him to kiss her deeply.

She returned his kiss joyfully and for a long while, they were contently lost in their own world. Eventually though, Rory drew back to gaze into his eyes with her hands locked around his neck. "You really did good. I am so, so proud of you, Logan… I hope you know that." He probably did; but he had been told far too rarely that anyone was proud of him and certainly not by people who really counted. Like his parents. And seeing his eyes soften with emotions, she was glad she had remembered to tell him.

As if summoned, someone cleared a throat behind her and, by Logan's tense reaction, she already knew who had approached them even before she turned around in Logan's arms to come face to face with the entire Huntzberger clan. She gave a nod and a cold smile, saying nothing. They weren't here to see her anyway. They probably would have preferred that she not be here at all, judging by both Shira and Elias' glare. She had a real smile for Honor and Josh only, giving them a little wave with her fingers. She was about to move away to give Logan's family their moment with him alone but the second she tried to step aside, Logan's arm around her waist drew her closer and kept her firmly in place.

Fine with her.

"Well done, Logan," Shira told him, a bit stiff but still a compliment.

The moment was immediately ruined though by his bastard grandfather who snorted. "Not good enough if you ask me. You could have graduated with honors, a summa cum laude or at least a cum laude, if you hadn't partied through college. You should have at least made the top five percent of your class." He glared at Rory who did not flinch, returning the glare back. How dare he ruin this day for Logan like this! Okay, he may be right, but Logan still had made the top ten percent, which was impressive enough, knowing how little he had worked in school.

"It is acceptable enough." Mitchum surprisingly voiced her thoughts, calling off his father. But then he looked hard at his son, with a displeased frown. "You stand by your decision?"

Having no idea what he was talking about, she glanced sideways at her boyfriend who simply nodded earnestly. "Absolutely."

His father stiffened, but she thought she also saw some kind of approval from his facial expression. Huh. Strange. _What_ was going on here?

"Well, I don't care how you did it. The important thing is… you are now a Yale graduate. I'm very proud of you, little brother," Honor interrupted the tense moment between father and son and came forward to give Logan a heartfelt hug; and then, she gave Rory a hug, too. Putting aside her questions for the moment, Rory returned Honor's hug, whispering her thanks into the blonde's ear. Honor sure had her moments and she knew how to give her brother a well-deserved boost from time to time.

They invited Logan for a drink that he declined politely which was all right with her. After some more meaningless small talk, they all went their separate ways. Much to Rory's relief. Logan was scheduled to leave for London at 9 o'clock the next morning and she wanted more alone time with him before his departure. Maybe she was being selfish, but she simply wanted him to herself during the last hours at home before an ocean would separate them.

The thought of him leaving was unbearable enough and she honestly didn't know how she would be able to take the separation. She had no choice but to bear it. Ever since their big fight, the talk and blissful reunion, everything between them had been great. Really, really great. They had come to such a deep understanding of each other in the days that followed. They had grown close together. And more than ever, she was convinced that he was the one. Oh, she knew it was way too soon to think about a permanent relationship like marriage or even kids; but, deep down she still knew that when the time for that would come, it was going to be with him. Something she could very well live with and look forward to. And he was on the same page as her, just like he had told her that meaningful day − a thought that was very soothing, especially now in face of his looming departure.

God, it would really be so hard. To not have him close, not be able to kiss him regularly, to not sleep in each other's arms night after night. Sure, they would probably set a new standard for long-distance relationships, talking and writing to each other as often as possible, as well as visiting. But it wouldn't be the same, not by a long shot and her heart hurt at the mere thought of having to let him go tomorrow. She had firmly vowed to not let that spoil their last hours, but now that their time together was running out, it was impossible not to think about it and not let it affect her. Still, she did everything to put up a brave façade. It was hard for Logan, too, she knew that, and she wouldn't make it harder for him by losing it. There was more than enough time for that later on, after his plane had taken off. Yeah, until then she should hold it together. She had to.

They were going to dine royally together in their favorite restaurant in the city. After that, it was back to their apartment where Colin and Finn would be waiting for them with other good friends for the surprise farewell party. She had warned them ahead that everybody must leave by two o'clock. Best friends or not, his last night home was hers and she wasn't going to give that one away. She needed that one last opportunity to physically share her love for him, hoping that the euphoria of their lovemaking would last until the next time they could share their love again which would probably be months away.

Then in the morning it would be off to the airport. She didn't know yet how she should say goodbye and see him walk away from her. It was going to be unbelievably hard if not unbearably hard but it wouldn't and shouldn't stop her from taking him to the airport. No matter what, she needed to be there, kiss him goodbye and wave until he was inside the 'passengers only' area.

And only then would she allow the misery and anguish over their forced separation show.

* * *

"Wait a minute! We're going the wrong direction!"

Logan had waited for Rory to catch up on Frank not heading into town but out of town. She had taken longer than he had anticipated, then again, she had been awfully quiet, lost in her own thoughts for a while. And he had a pretty good guess of the reason why. She may not want to show her unhappiness about his impending departure, but he was no fool. Besides, ever since their long and hard talk about their relationship a few weeks back, they had grown so much closer together that rarely was there a moment when he couldn't read her mood pretty well and sometimes even her thoughts. Apart from London looming over them, everyday had been absolutely blissful. But the nearer they got to the date of his supposed leaving, the more silent his Ace grew. Also, she seemed to be savoring each and every one of their kisses, touches and lovemaking; she seemed to be memorizing, storing up every sensation for the time when he would be away from her. And a couple of times, she had cried. Of course, not in his presence because she would always put up a happy, encouraging face in front of him, but he had figured it out anyway.

He never called her on it, but rather understood why she preferred to act as if nothing was wrong. It was different now. It was not as if she was not sharing her feelings but rather she was protecting herself from the heartache to come. To be honest, he didn't feel much better about it himself. He, too, couldn't bear the thought of their imminent separation, especially with the way things were between them nowadays. In the end, he came to accept that he simply couldn't.

So when Rory reached for the intercom to ask Frank about their direction, he caught her hand. "Ace, no. He's not going the wrong way."

"But…" she stopped, narrowing her eyes. "Has this anything to do with your father's comment back there? About you being sure?"

Of course she had already made the connection between his father's little comment she overheard and its relevance to where they were going. Then again, it was a small miracle that his father or any member of his family didn't mention his decision in more detail. Also, it was very surprising that his dad hadn't been angrier. Hell, if he didn't know it any better, he could almost swear that he had seen some pride in Mitchum's hard eyes. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

"Logan?"

"Yes," he replied with a start, squeezing her hand. "Uh… Look, don't get mad."

She raised one of her eyebrows. Then she sighed. "You've got a surprise for me, don't you?"

Despite his nervousness about what he had to confess, he had to lift one corner of his mouth.

She nodded wistfully. "So what is the surprise? Where are we going?"

Straight to the point. He wasn't sure if this was a good sign. Still, he hoped his answer to her questions would pacify her a little. "To the airport."

Before he could say anything more, all color left her face and her eyes grew very big. The fear in them nearly choked him. "You already have to leave _now_?"

Freeing one of his hands out of her death grip, he cupped her cheek. "Shit, Rory, no. That's not it at all."

A quiver ran through her and she gazed at him with some of her panic subdued. "No?"

"No," he soothed her, stroking his thumb over her jaw-line. "Quite the contrary. We're going to JFK to board an evening flight to Hanoi." He held out his hand, one corner of his mouth lifting. "Will you come with me?" He was asking for way more than that; he felt good when she immediately put her hand into his.

At last, her panic had ebbed away and she covered his hand with hers. "Always." Then she frowned. "Hanoi?"

"Yeah. You planned Hanoi for our first stop on our Asian trip, didn't you?" He extremely enjoyed the puzzlement on his Ace's face. That was why he liked to surprise her so much. She would always be mistrustful, always almost ready to reject whatever surprise he had and then, she would always slowly start to accept the surprise until she loved it. Well, he hoped she would come to love this surprise too.

"Yes, I did. Are you saying we're going after all? That you booked us the trip according to my original plans?" Oh yeah, she was excited. Good. She wouldn't allow herself any joy over it yet as her next words proved. "But what about London? What did you have to sacrifice so Mitchum would wait until after the summer? Your trips home for the next year?"

Losing his smirk, he took a deep breath. Now came the hard part. "I'm not going to London, Rory. Actually, I quit. I'm not going to work for the Huntzberger Media Corporation at all."

His Ace's face didn't show surprise this time. Her face showed shock! "What? But… What are you going to do then?"

"You remember Jamie from the LDB? He started an on-line news site, really innovative. Last week he called and offered me an opportunity to be a partner." He stopped there, collecting his thoughts. All had gone so fast and he himself had a hard time believing that he truly wasn't going to work in the family business. "I already told you before, if I could, I'd leave the firm. But what options did I have? As the Huntzberger heir, no serious publication company or news agency would have hired me. And forced into it or not… I do love the news business. Just not when I have to work for my father and always be under his control. He is so suffocating and I hate it. When Jamie called… I didn't have to think long. Only long enough to do some due diligence on his business. And it's good, Rory, it's really good. I always wanted to lead the HMC into the virtual ether. It's the future. The printed paper won't die out till a few more years even decades, but the focus will shift, that's obvious. Jamie's site is spectacular and, we can develop it into one of the leading internet news sources." The more he talked about it, the more his enthusiasm grew. This was right. This was perfect for him. And he just knew it.

"Are you really sure?" Rory asked very seriously. "Can you afford it?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he confirmed with absolute certainty, not minding the question. "And sure, I won't be able to live the way I'm used to, but I won't be exactly poor either. I'll still get the dividends from my trust plus for a few years now, I have put some money aside for opportunities like this. And besides, the meager salary I'll get as a working partner should sustain me comfortably enough." But yeah, he definitely would have to cut back. He could do it though. To be Mitchum-free, it was a small price to pay. And fortunately, he had a girlfriend who could teach him a thing or two about living on a budget. "I'll have to work my ass off for this to work but, Ace, I will be able to work without my father and my family breathing down my neck. I'll be free at last and be able to do what I want, my choice, on my own. This is what I always wanted and I know… _I know_ that this is the right thing for me."

For a moment she studied him very closely. Very much to his relief, she finally nodded. "If you really feel good about this, then it will probably be very good for you. It is truly admirable that you want to go on your own and do what you think would be best for you. And I've got to admit, it does sound perfect for you."

Her words were encouraging for the part of him that still held a few doubts about taking such a big step into uncertainty and independence. Having grown up as he had, it wasn't easy to break away from his family's expectations, the reason why in the end, so many of his friends ended up doing exactly what they were supposed to do. "It is. You'll like the site. The articles are outstanding and the blogs are really at the pulse of life. It targets and focuses more on people our age, although there are sections for kids and for older people. The site is small for the time being. It's a promising concept. Once I have access to my trust account, I will invest more money into the business so we can expand and broaden our target markets and what the site covers so that eventually it will be _the_ website for news."

"Look at you… all business already," she commented with a smirk.

He shrugged. "Dad made sure I know how the business works at a very early age. Just because I hated the training didn't mean I didn't learn after all. Or can't use the knowledge I have attained through his guidance as foundation for my own venture." Which was what his father realized when he had gone to see him yesterday to tell him he was going to leave the Huntzberger group and start a business enterprise with a friend. Proof enough that he was ready to be on his own.

"Good for you," Rory agreed as well. Then she hesitated, biting her lip. "So I assume you have to work from…?"

Ah… Of course. "New York. Jamie has set up the office, just a small one with five workstations, but that's all we'll need for starters. I'll have to find an apartment there, I won't have the time to come to New Haven every day and there's also quite a lot of traveling involved, but still…"

"It's not London," she finished for him, her eyes starting to shine incredibly.

He grinned. "It's not London."

"And you can still go on this trip first?" she wanted to know, her eagerness coming through at last.

"Well, I do have to write a few articles for the site based on what we'll see and experience, but it won't take much of our time. I'll email Jamie once a week and this way, we can take all the time we want for our trip." This was good because they had planned on visiting several Asian cities which would take at least six to eight weeks, maybe ten.

She startled him by wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Oh, Logan. That's wonderful! You're not leaving and free from Mitchum! And on top of it all, we even get to do our trip." As soon as she had hugged him, she pulled away to slap his chest. "How could you keep all this from me? And what do you mean… we're on the way to the airport? We can't! We first have to pack and if you're going to stay in New York we'll have to clean out our apartment. And I have to find a place for next year! Oh, and my passport! It's in Stars Hollow. And jeez, Mom! I've got to tell her all this and that I won't be home this summer after all. No way can we do all that and be on time for our flight!"

Laughing, he shook his head. Now that was his Ace! "Have some trust in me, Baby. I took care of everything," he assured her, pulling out their passports from his inner breast pocket. As she stared at them, he smirked. "And with the help of many little elves, the things that still needed to be done will be taken care of as well. First, your mother brought this one," he waved with her passport, "and packed two suitcases for you. She also talked to Christopher who'd like to pay for our apartment next year for you. If that's not what you want, I also talked with Paris and it sounds like you could have your old room in their apartment. Though I prefer that you stay in our apartment till you graduate. Not just because I will be spared of the experience of watching Doyle and Paris playing house, let alone listen to them when I come to visit you, but simply because that neighborhood is not safe enough and I don't want to worry about you all the time. So please, _please_ stay and accept Christopher's offer, yes, Ace?" he asked, not caring that he was begging here. He really wanted her to the stay at the first place they had called _home_ even if he would be spending a lot of time away from there. But most of all, he simply couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her and Paris' place was practically an invitation for trouble. Anything could happen at that area and he would not want to take the chance, especially with Rory as a walking target for all those low lives living there.

To his utter relief, she blushed and tilted her head. "I'll think about it and, maybe, I'll take up his offer. Paris and Doyle are great friends but I still prefer not living with them, if I can. Besides, our apartment... It's home. Our home."

"I know," he agreed wholeheartedly, kissing her cheek. "And I'll be home as often as I can, I promise."

She put her head onto his shoulder. "You better."

Smiling, he continued to get her up to date. "Okay, back to our trip. Paris also promised she'd email you all things Yale so you're in the know for your next semester. Oh, and Finn and Colin know about our trip. They did not want to waste the chance to have a party so they will still party tonight but at the pub not at our apartment. And I fear there will be another party when we get back to celebrate 'Logan's balls' to quote Finn. Thank you for planning the surprise party for me... it was a really great thought, Ace."

Her head shot up. "You knew…" Her eyes narrowed. "Since when did you plan all this?"

"Only the last three days. I knew about Jamie's little project of course, hell, we've been working on the website idea for a long time now. That's why he called and offered me the opportunity when he finally had enough investors and advertisers to launch the site." Not that he had thought they would ever actually realize this baby when the two of them had shared their dreams of being free from their families and start their own news business. That it actually happened and, even more than that, he had the balls to go through with it and quit from the family business which still felt more like a dream than reality. But it was real. And that had a lot to do with the woman beside him.

She had reminded him that he actually loved this business – and was good at it. Her life and the lives of her mom and her friend Lane had shown him that anyone with determination could break free from any set path. She had always believed in him, encouraged him, been proud of him; although sometimes he also disappointed her, making him want to redeem himself. And finally, she had given him reason to believe in himself that gave him courage and confidence to take this step. Not to mention that the motivation of wanting to remain close to her was a large part of his decision to turn his back on his father and stay in New York to work with a friend.

New York would not be as far as moving to London but it would still mean that they would not be living together. Between his work and her studies, they could work out a schedule that would allow them to see each other regularly and do weekends, and occasional weekday, sleepovers. That was, if she forgave him for not telling her sooner of all this. And sure enough, there was already her question in a slightly hurt voice that cut through him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He had expected this question sooner or later. Didn't mean it was any easier to answer. "For starters, it all happened really fast. You still were in the middle of your finals when Jamie first called and I didn't want to disturb your concentration. I figured also that it was for the best to not get our hopes up before it was definitive." He could see that this wasn't good enough for her. They were valid reasons but he had to admit, there was another one and probably, the most important one. "Ace, I needed to do this on my own. This is not about not sharing my life with you. It's about me, on my own, deciding what to do with my life and we both know that even if I had told you about all this sooner, you would have told me that this was something I had to figure out for myself, without your influence. If it doesn't work out, I have only myself to blame and I want it that way. You can understand that, can't you?"

Her eyes softened. "Yeah. Yeah, I understand. And you're right. I would not have wanted to influence your decision even if I wanted you to stay close and not go to London." She took a deep breath and tilted her head. "Still, a little warning would have been nice. And how did you manage to arrange all of this in so little time?"

Relieved that she accepted his motivation for this surprise, he shrugged. "I still don't tell my secrets, Ms. Gilmore. Even more now that I am a member of the free press and have to protect my sources."

"I'm going to hear that a lot from now on, won't I?" she asked with an eye-roll that he answered with an amused nod. Oh yeah, she would. "Okay, keep your secrets. I'll find out eventually on my own anyway." Her eyes sparkled and he had no doubts that she would sooner or later get him to talk. Or someone else who would give her helpful hints. She was good at that. One of the many reasons why he loved her so much. Besides, some of her methods of getting him to talk were more than worth the 'interrogation'.

"So mom packed my suitcases? Oh boy! Broke or not, you'll pay for any stuff I'll have to buy because I might not be able to wear the clothes she deemed suitable for a trip to the Far East. Then again, you'll probably thank her on your knees upon our return."

Intrigued, he lifted an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"

"Let's just say that she likes to mess with my wardrobe and the things she packs are mostly so scandalous that I'm blushing at the mere thought of wearing any of the outfits she packed for me." She snorted. "Not that I'll have a choice. There won't be any one piece I would pack voluntarily."

"Oh yeah?" She was right. He definitely liked the thought of that.

"Don't get too smug. You probably wouldn't want me to wear in public a lot of the clothes she packed," she told him dryly.

"Well, we'll see. I told her to pack the normal stuff. Oh, and our coffee of course," he said, ignoring her comment. Surely she exaggerated. There was hardly anything in Rory's wardrobe that he wouldn't want her to wear outside of their home.

"_Our_ coffee? Since when did coffee become ourcoffee?" she asked, her turn to raise an eyebrow.

He grinned. "Since I brought you that coffee from Costa Rica. I have sworn I would join the love fest for the holy coffee if it would break the ice that had grown between us. And it sure did its job as an icebreaker, didn't it?"

Her smile was warm when she slowly nodded before she cuddled into his side, tucking her head under his chin as her arms slipped around him to hold him close. "Yeah, I guess it did. Logan?"

"Hmm?" Already distracted by her closeness, he played with her hair as he calculated the time left before they reached the airport. Surely they should have enough time to have a little fun, shouldn't they?

"Thank you…" she whispered, so heartfelt it even doused his horniness, for the moment. "… for staying here. For fighting for us. For giving us this trip." She looked up at him, her expressive eyes showing the depths of her emotions, baring her soul, telling him so much without words that left him wordless as well. "Thank you for bringing home that icebreaker. It was a gift for both of us."

And she kissed him, long and deep and hard and he responded to her kiss to show her that there was no need for any thanks. He needed her and losing his Ace wasn't an option. Not for him. And he was fairly certain not for her either. At least that was what her kisses and touches told him and what he could see whenever he looked into those beautiful eyes he had fallen in love with the first time they met. Or the second time. Whatever.

And, yeah! There was more than enough time for a little fun.

**The End.**

* * *

**Queen Ferret's Prompt: My request – I want an AU fic set in season six. Everything right up to Logan's accident in Costa Rica has happened as per the show. But I want to see how Logan and Rory would have fixed their relationship without Logan's accident. Must be in character, cannot be a song fic. Smut, angst, fluff are all fine.**

_(Author's note: So, that's it. Unbelievable. A story that is actually already finished. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as I have enjoyed writing it. I'd like to thank all you wonderful people who took the time to review. I got to admit, I thrive on them and I really love reading how you feel about something I wrote. So, from the bottom of my heart: thank you all._

_Queen Ferret, I hope that the story I wrote fulfilled your prompt and that this is more or less what you had hoped for. Either way, thank you for this interesting idea. _

_As for my other stories: First, I'll finish Shot to Happiness. Originally I wanted to have it finished by the end of last year, but then the fic exchange happened. I promise to finish them all, it's just slow going as I don't have much free time and I also try to work on the original stuff I have started when I have time to write.)  
_


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